Roommate Agreement
by brit02
Summary: Tomoe and Kaoru are roommates in college, who like the same guy. What would happen? One-shot.


Ok, this was inspired by a random thought in my head, but all incidents here are from personal experience. This is basically a story about me and my roommate, up until the whole fighting-over-the-boy thing. Seriously. The whole boy drama thing is where the random-ocity kicked in.

* * *

Kaoru was an international student, from Japan.

Tomoe was American.

From the start, Kaoru knew she won't get along well with her roommate. All the pictures she saw of her on FaceBook were of her drunk or partying. Kaoru wasn't into getting drunk. She liked the occasional drink of sake or vodka, but she had never gone past tipsy. Who would? Back home, getting drunk labeled you as a loser who cannot hold their alcohol.

However, on their first meeting, Kaoru was more than surprised at her roommate. She had almost dropped down in a faint.

Tomoe was reserved, the perfect lady. Totally polite, studious, enthusiastic about meeting her roommate-looking forward to it as much as Kaoru had been dreading it-and drop dead gorgeous. Who Kaoru thought to be a typical American now coming into college-you know, getting drunk, partying every night-was the epitome of a Japanese lady. She surpassed Kaoru in something she was born into.

That was, until the weekend hit.

She was a totally different person on the weekends.

She went out on Friday and Saturday nights, and the occasional Thursday. However, instead of feeling peeved and slighted, Kaoru actually enjoyed it. Even though she liked to party at home, she didn't want to risk it here. The laws were too stringent, and she had a scholarship to upkeep. However, even though Tomoe was a crazy drunk on the weekends, she was a fun, if reserved, girl during the week. Also, Tomoe knew her limits with alcohol. Even though she would pre-game, she would never drink any more. She would remain buzzed for the night, but when she stumbled into the room at midnight or a little later, she was sober. She had her priorities straight-study, then party. She had even once stayed in a Friday because she hadn't finished her work.

Tomoe and Kaoru got along fantastically. They weren't best friends, but neither did they hate each other. Sure, their cultures were different and they spoke differently, and they did things differently and they were brought up differently, but there were enough similarities to make all the differences alright, even enjoyable. Kaoru loved listening to Tomoe's accounts of growing up in America, especially since her parents had immigrated from Japan, and Tomoe loved listening to Kaoru speak Japanese, a language her parents shunned.

That was, until Tomoe started to like a certain Australian.

Kaoru had met the Australian kid during her week long international student orientation. He was outgoing, funny and easy going. And cute. Definitely that. Plus, he and the British guy were on the fight team together, so he was fit. Even though the Brit was more into the fist fighting and he was into the Japanese style fighting (his mother being Japanese and his father an Australian), they still had practice at the same time. All the fighters did.

When one looked at him, they would be immediately drawn to his eyes. They were a deep violet which seemed to stare right into your soul, and which outshone his flame-red hair. He was polite, ever the gentleman, something one would expect of the Brit. However, the Brit was crude and loud and very _un-British _like. But Kaoru may have been stereotyping just a bit.

-x-

"Ohmigosh, Misao, here he comes!" Kaoru sunk lower into her seat in the cafeteria to avoid making eye contact with the Australian. _Kenshin. _She was surprised not to see Sano with him. They were inseparable.

Misao rolled her bright green eyes. "Oh calm down." Misao was also from Japan, but had moved to the States when she was seventeen. However, since she was originally from Japan she was offered to attend the international orientation. Misao and Kaoru had been together since, and Misao knew of Kaoru's infatuation with the Australian guy. "He's not going to come over here."

As she said this, Kenshin stopped looking around for an open space and his strange violet eyes alighted on them. He gave them a smile and started heading in their direction.

Kaoru forced her heart to stop beating so loudly and plastered what she hoped was a carefree and welcoming smile on her face. "Hey Kenshin. What's up?"

He sat down at their table, opposite Misao. Misao and Kaoru were sitting next to each other on a table designed for four, so he was also facing Kaoru. She was glad she had just finished eating, or else she may have choked.

"Nothing much." He replied in his sexy Australian accent. Kaoru decided Australians had the best accents anywhere.

Kaoru's attention was diverted from Kenshin when a large form sat heavily opposite her. She glared at the hulking form of the British student. Sano grinned at her, and Kaoru groaned inwardly. She didn't know why, but he loved to tease her. "Heya Jou-chan," He said, his made up nickname for her grating on her nerves. "Did the math homework yet?"

She snorted. "Nah, I hate math. I'm done with all my other homework but that. I even started next week's homework to avoid math."

Kenshin's eyes grew wide. "You're done?" He choked out. "It's Saturday morning!"

She nodded, glad to have an excuse to look and talk to him. "Yup. I figure if I do the work as soon as they give it to me, I'll have less to do."

He just stared at her incredulously.

A pointed tug on Kaoru's sleeve made her look at Misao. "Hey, seeing that you and I are done, let's go out today."

Kaoru smiled widely. Anything to get off of campus, and far away from campus food. Too bad they had already eaten lunch. _We can always just eat a second lunch…_

Misao stood up and grabbed her trash, then waggled her fingers at the two boys. "See you guys later!"

Kaoru was torn. She had thought Misao meant after! She got up a little slower and said her good byes. Sano smiled mischievously at her, and Kenshin gave her a polite smile.

Kaoru was floating on clouds.

-x-

"Hey, you know that Australian dude?"

Kaoru turned around in her chair to face her roommate, who was now entering their room. She kept her face and voice guarded. She had mentioned to Tomoe that she found he was very good looking, and she racked her brain to see if she mentioned anything about her liking him. "Sure, Kenshin. He was in international orientation with me."

"Well, apparently he's in my math class. Today during our quiz the teacher made us sit in some random order, and he ended up in front of me. She's _so _retarded, she didn't let us sit in whatever place we wanted. We had to sit where _she _wanted us to." She dropped her bag onto the floor with a grunt. "Anyways, I had my coffee on my table in front of me."

"Oh no." Kaoru could see what was coming.

"Yeah. He put his elbow on my desk and spilled my coffee all over my quiz and desk." She was laughing, and so was Kaoru. She couldn't _believe _Kenshin did that!

"No way! Omg, what did you do?" Kaoru was trying hard to contain her giggles. She could just imagine Kenshin's look of stunned surprise and him muttering an adorable "Oro."

Tomoe was laughing too. "I just cleaned it up. He kept apologizing to me, turning around every now and then to say sorry."

Kaoru grinned. "Oh, I could just imagine his face. That's too funny."

Tomoe nodded her head in agreement, a large smile still on her face.

-x-

Kaoru was looking forward to that afternoon's business class. It was the one class she had with Kenshin, and she couldn't wait to tease him about the incident with her roomie. Kami, She could just _imagine _his face. Every time she did, she would erupt in a fit of giggles.

It wasn't until the end of class when she could finally approach him. She spun around in her seat to look him in the eye. A smile was playing around her lips. "Hey, Kenshin, I heard what you did to my roommate this morning in math. Spilling her coffee and all."

She saw his face go from one of confusion, to incredulity, to shock. "She's _your _roommate?"

Kaoru smiled, and nodded her head.

"Oh my gosh, please tell her I am so sorry! I'll buy her a coffee on Thursday morning! I swear! I'm so sorry! Please tell her?"

Now Kaoru was laughing and she whipped out her phone. "I'll tell her now!"

"Please tell her I'm sorry again!" He picked up his bag and rushed off to class, leaving Kaoru to shake her head in amusement.

_I jus talked to Kenshin and he says he's very, very sorry for spilling your coffee and he'll buy u a coffee on thur lol, _Kaoru's fingers flew on her phone's keyboard as she texted her roomie.

Tomoe's response wasn't long in coming. _Hahahahahahhaha omg no no it's fine!_

_Haha I think you should tell him that…I think he was serious :S_

Kaoru looked up from her phone, wondering if she should send him a message on FaceBook to ask him his number. She then shook off the idea. It was ridiculous.

-x-

Kaoru started guiltily as she heard a click at the door. Recognizing the sound as one that their room card made before her roommate entered, Kaoru quickly dashed behind her closet door to continue changing.

Tomoe said she was going to the on-campus café to do a project with her friend just as Kaoru was heading to the shower, so Kaoru was surprised when she came back within fifteen minutes.

"Hey, why are you back so fast?" She asked, pulling her tank top over her head.

Tomoe dumped her bag on her bed. "Megan wasn't finished studying, so we couldn't start our project yet."

"Oh." Kaoru started to dig around for a pair of sweats. She was done with homework for the day, and she was looking forward to a night of just lazing in the room.

"Oh, ok, I was at this tutoring thing, right?" Kaoru looked at Tomoe, and nodded for her to continue. "So yeah, the Australian guy? He was there too." There was this big grin on her face, and Kaoru had a sneaking suspicion in the back of her mind.

"Did he mention the coffee he's gonna buy you coffee tomorrow?"

"Yeah he did, but I told him it was fine. It was only half full anyways." But the note of amusement and the grin on her face never went away. Kaoru's heart sank.

-x-

"I think my roomie may have a crush on Kenshin too." Kaoru and Misao were in the pizza place on campus, and Kaoru was so distressed that she couldn't eat-a rare occurrence.

"Oh, Kaoru, stop stressing. Just ask her about it."

Kaoru huffed. "Fine."

-x-

Kaoru fiddled in her bed. She hated asking Tomoe this, but she just _needed to know. _Tomoe picked up on her nervous twiddling.

"Kaoru, is something wrong?"

Kaoru took a deep breath. "Do you like Kenshin?"

Tomoe looked stunned for a minute, then a huge grin broke out on her face. "I just came out of a serious relationship and I wasn't really looking for another…but I guess so."

Kaoru's heart slammed to her feet. Kenshin would always prefer her. She was more beautiful, more poised, more _everything. _

"I know you like him, too."

Tomoe's soft voice didn't lessen the impact of the statement.

"What?"

Tomoe laughed, her laugh like bells chiming. "You're so transparent. I've been struggling with the problem for a little while now, and I think I have an alternative?"

"To Kenshin?" Asked Kaoru, a little suspiciously.

Tomoe laughed again. "No, to our situation. I hate going behind a friend's back, especially when it comes to guys. So…how about we agree not to do anything while we are still roommates?"

Kaoru blinked.

Then she blinked again.

"What?"

Tomoe sighed, and ran her hands through her long, dark hair.

"I mean, even though both of us like him, we don't…act on our affections."

"I understood what you said." Snapped Kaoru, her shock making her reply snappishly. "What I don't understand is _why._"

Tomoe smiled. "Because I know that if both of us go fighting for his attentions, we would end up fighting and this living situation would be less than pleasant."

Kaoru frowned. "True."

"But…"

"But?"

Tomoe's eyes were mischievous as they met with Kaoru's azure ones. "As soon as we aren't roommates, all bets are off."

Kaoru's face broke out in a smile. She loved a challenge.

"That is, if we still like him in a year's time." Continued Tomoe.

Kaoru thrust her hand out in front of her, and Tomoe grasped it. With one hard shake, Kaoru replied with a grin, "You're on."

* * *

Heehee, hope you liked it. Up until that whole pizza and asking Tomoe thing, all the incidents up there happened to me. I am international, and my roomie isn't. She's so awesome though! And in reality, there is an Australian guy that I kinda like, and who _did _spill her coffee in math, and who I _did _tease about it. The whole texting thing I took from me and my roomie-as soon as I told Daniel (the Australian) that 'Tomoe' was my roomie and he apologized profusely, I texted her. What you see was our actual conversation, except I switched the names. Duh. Oh, and he and Alex (the British dude, and yes, the lunch thing did happen too) both live in my dorm x) so I see him almost every day! xD xD haha

Any thoughts? Comments? Criticisms? Like it? Hate it? Love it?

r.e.v.i.e.w.

please?

;]


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